MT4 vs MT5 for Brokers: Which Platform to Run

Most brokers end up asking the same question: run MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, or both? The honest answer depends on the products you want to offer, what your traders already use and how much migration you are prepared to take on.

What MT5 adds

• A wider range of instruments: MT5 was built to support more than forex and CFDs, including exchange-traded products where the setup allows it
• Position accounting modes: MT5 supports both netting and hedging account types
• More analysis tools: 21 timeframes against MT4's 9, a built-in economic calendar and market depth
• A newer programming language and a faster strategy tester

What MT4 still has going for it

• A very large installed base: many traders know it well and ask for it by name
• A large library of existing indicators and expert advisors written for it
• A familiar, simple interface that suits traders who trade forex and nothing else

Expert advisors and indicators written for MT4 do not run on MT5 as they are: they have to be ported. For a trader with a library of tools that is a real switching cost, which is why many brokers keep both platforms available.

Questions that decide it

• Which instruments do you want to offer now, and in two years?
• Do your traders depend on MT4 expert advisors?
• Which account modes do your clients and your risk policy need?
• Does your bridge and liquidity setup support what you plan to run?
• What does your regulator or your licence say about the products you offer?

Platform licensing terms are set by MetaQuotes and change over time. Check what is currently available for a new brokerage before you plan around either platform.

Running both, and moving between them

Running MT4 and MT5 side by side is common. It means two environments to host, two sets of groups and symbols to keep consistent, and one back office that has to read both. Moving traders from MT4 to MT5 is a scheduled operation: accounts, groups, symbols and history have to move, the cutover window has to be agreed and clients have to be told.

Is MT4 still worth offering?

Many traders still ask for it by name, and for traders who depend on MT4 expert advisors it remains the practical choice. Whether it is available to a new brokerage depends on current licensing terms, so confirm that first.

Can I offer MT4 and MT5 on one CRM?

Yes, if the CRM reads each platform through its own interface. Accounts on both platforms then sit on one client record, and the desk sees one view instead of two.

Do MT4 expert advisors work on MT5?

Not directly. MT4 expert advisors are written in MQL4 and MT5 uses MQL5, so they have to be ported and tested. That is the main reason traders hesitate to switch.

Where relioops fits

relioops sets up, migrates and runs both MT4 and MT5 environments, connects them to your bridge, and keeps your CRM and risk view reading from one client record whichever platform an account sits on. If you are choosing a platform, or planning a move from one to the other, tell us what you run today and we will come back with what we would change, move or leave alone.

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